Survivor Samoa—One of the Scariest Episodes Ever!

There came a point last night when my heart was literally in my throat: When Russell S. (with the braids) collapsed and blacked out. It all started with the downpour. Five straight days of rain and both tribes were waterlogged and miserable. At first I was annoyed by all the whining and complaining. Not because they didn't deserve to whine and complain (hey, I would have too!), but because listening to it was boring. Survivor means crazy challenges, lots of drama, blatant manipulation, people losing chickens (hello, Shambo). I wanted to get to the action. Well I got it, and then some.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

At reward challenge, everyone was thrilled about the reward: Pizza. But their excitement lasted all of ten seconds once Jeff dropped a bombshell. Win or lose, both teams were going to tribal council. No immunity for either side; they'd both be voting someone off the island. The challenge was a taxing one. Blindfolded players had to push a giant sphere through a maze then solve a puzzle, guided only by the verbal directions of a teammate strapped inside the sphere.

Most Popular

By the end of the maze run, Russell S. was so exhausted that he could barely stand. Within minutes he collapsed. Jeff halted the game and called in the medics. That's when I got scared. Clearly, something was seriously wrong with him. His eyes were glassy. He was unresponsive. There was no there there. He'd blacked out. That's when Jeff stopped the challenge for good. No one won reward. And both tribes still had to go to tribal. Jeff sent them back to their camps so the medics could care for Russell S. But it wasn't enough. At first he seemed OK, but as soon as he tried to sit up, his heart rate plummeted and he blacked out again. There was no question that he had to go home. I was sad to see him go, but his health is far more important than this game.

At tribal, both teams were upset to learn that Russell S. had been pulled from the game, and you just know that they were equally bummed that they still had to vote people out. But Jeff had another surprise for them, and this time it was a good one: Because the challenge had been stopped, there'd be no vote—no one else was going home. I think that was the right call. But I do have a question. What happened to the pizza? Couldn't the producers have let both tribes eat it? Throw 'em a bone already. —Angela Ebron